Hoping to find something free and open.
Bookwyrm on the Fediverse ?
Bookwyrm if you want something Fediverse.
Storygraph I think is the other popular one (I’ve not used it)
I have been using TheStorygraph and I am amazed by the quality of some of the recommendations.
Also a Storygraph user. And I’ll add in praise for their migration tool that carried over my Goodreads data so I didn’t lose my history nor my to-read list.
I’ve been using Storygraph for a couple of years now and love it. The only feature it’s missing for me that Goodreads has (although its implementation is awkward anyway) is the ability to add a note to a book you haven’t started yet.
My workaround for now is a tagging system with friends names like #recommendation #recommendation-amy and if I want some more detailed info, I made a custom shortcut to transform a Storygraph share URL into a note in my book notes folder in Obsidian.
In case you use it for tracking what you’ve read and what you would like to read - OpenReads
I had no idea this existed! This is awesome!
I’ve been using Hardcover. Still very much a WIP and community is still pretty small but it seems very promising with a public api and ambitions to open source.
Well, they let me order my lists (and actually display the order). That’s good.
No way to bulk add books to a list? Not so good.
Worth keeping an eye on, though.
If you mean a shared server for book comments, Open Library (openlibrary.org) was supposed to be that, though it never gained so much popularity.
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Maybe look up Goodreads before coming in and making a condescending comment. Hint: it’s not an e-reader.
They could have destroyed me… by just saying “book clubs” but alas, they don’t keep up with the times, apparently not even Victorian era…
Tagging system helps once again
You should probably double check whether you even understood OP’s question before acting smug and condescending.
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Disregarding that you completely fail to understand OP’s question; physical books suck. We used then until a few decades ago because we didn’t have anything better now we do. It’s called an e-reader and it’s superior to dead tree books in every single way.
Can’t say I agree with you. Call me old fashioned but I like having the physical book. It lends a vibe to the experience that e-readers bypass simply by being digital.
The user-experience of physical books is pretty bad. They are bulky and heavy, unlike an e-reader you can’t keep 1000+ books in your coat pocket. You need an external light source, which limits where and when you can read. If you want to read a new book you have to go to a physical store or library (both have extremely limited selections due to the aforementioned bulkiness) or you have to order online which takes at least a day for delivery. With an e-reader I can pick a book and start reading it 10 seconds later without even leaving the comfort of my bed.
Then there’s small things like full text search.
You need an external light source, which limits where and when you can read
It’s not as uniform as an ereader’s illumination, but book lights are a thing.
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Book-Lights/zgbs/hi/1063290
I’m with you on the search and bulkiness, though.
